Episode 294: Answering Your Baseball Questions to the Best of Our Abilities
Date September 25, 2013 Summary Ben and Sam answer listener emails about MVP debates, the future of soft-tossing pitcher, Hall of Fame voting, and more. Topics * Single-A vs. MLB team * Players speaking out against team names * Soft-tossing in the high velocity era * Hall of Fame voting procedures * MVP debates and voting * Is adrenaline good for a batter? Intro Kindergarten Cop sound clip Banter * Episode 289 follow-up: Players ejected mid-play * Episode 217 & Episode 289 follow-up: The Stanky Maneuver Email Questions * Eric: "How big a lead would I have to spot a low-A team before you think they'd be likely to beat a major league team?" * Josh: "I'm guessing that teams like the Indians would be much more inclined to rethink their names and logos if free agents started saying 'Those things are offensive and I don't want to play for you' or if a smart front office type goes to work for the Cardinals over Cleveland and reveals that the decision was partially based on being uncomfortable with the logo or name. Do you ever see something like that happening? Are there ballplayers out there who avoid Cleveland and the Braves because they consider the name/logo/tomahawk chop offensive? What are the chances someone out there has Cleveland on his no trade list simply because he doesn't want to wear that logo on his body?" * Michael: "Assuming average pitcher velocity continues to rise, will this eliminate pitchers who do not throw hard from the game, or will it lead to a new renaissance of soft tossing pitchers because hitters aren't used to facing them?" * Aaron: "the NFL Hall of Fame all the eligible voters meet the day before the Super Bowl in a room together. All eligible players have a voting member make a case for each player and then they discuss as a group and take a final vote. Do you think getting all the BBWAA and putting them in a room to discuss the merits of each player would make a difference in how the outcome would be, particularly in this age where battle lines are so clearly drawn between letting in PED player or keeping them out? Face to face discussion and strong cases for or against may make inclusion different than how the outcomes currently are going. maybe a mob mentality would push one side to another?" * Michael (Philadelphia, PA): "Would players on non-contending teams receive more consideration for the MVP award if the world 'valuable' was not present? If it were instead called most outstanding player award or best player award." * Guy: "If pain causes an adrenaline rush in the brain and adrenaline increases focus, vision, strength, and speed do you think it's possible that a hitter has a better chance of hitting the ball hard immediately after fouling a pitch off his foot, leg, or other body part assuming no deeper injury that could inhibit the swing." Notes * Eddie Stanky would distract opposing hitters from second base by jumping up and down and waving his arms behind the pitcher. * Sam notes that some of the World Baseball Classic games can demonstrate what happens when teams with large talent gaps play each other. * Ben & Sam are skeptical that an in-person discussion would make any changes to the current Hall of Fame voting results. * A person in Sam's fantasy baseball league picked up Jose Fernandez, who is not pitching for the rest of the season. Links * Effectively Wild Episode 294: Answering Your Baseball Questions to the Best of Our Abilities Category:Email Episodes Category:Episodes